Callum Wilson reveals what referee told Newcastle United players before Crystal Palace VAR gaffe

The Newcastle No. 9, who is currently nursing a slight hamstring issue, was forced to watch on as the decision to award Tyrick Mitchell's own goal was reversed due to an alleged foul by Joe Willock on Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

Michael Salisbury’s decision to rule out the goal following a prompt from VAR Lee Mason has been deemed one of the ‘worst’ VAR decisions in the Premier League since its introduction in 2019.

And to rub further salt into Newcastle’s wounds, Salisbury was the referee who met with the players during pre-season to explain how VAR would be more relaxed for the 2022-23 Premier League campaign.

“It was the same referee who gave us our prep talk in pre-season and said that they're going to be more lenient and things like that,” Wilson said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast.

“I just feel over the weekend, to get two points taken away from us from that decision and ultimately that could have led to us losing as well.

"We could have ended up losing that game because at 1-0 up it's a totally different game [to 0-0].

"In our game, Joe Willock had jumped in the air to head the ball, he's about to put the ball into the net, the player has pushed him in the back, Mitchell has pushed him in the back so he's going to collide [with the goalkeeper] because he's already in the air and has no control over what he's doing.

"[Willock] couldn't have done anything in that situation.

"Other than the referee giving a penalty, Willock was about to put the ball in the net then it hits the defender and then goes in.

"It should just be given as a goal because it's the defender's fault anyway.

"I can't understand why [it was disallowed], if you're thinking it's a foul, you reel it back two or three seconds and see he's been pushed in the air and you see it's a penalty.

"Mitchell didn't even complain, he just looked at the ground walking as if to say 'I've just scored an own goal'. I don't understand it.”